seismic Apocalypse

Overlord Dalaghan led the 860th Battle Group against alien hordes trespassing in Sector Green Indigo 72726 Omega. These had been identified as a cadre of Tau supported by a strong detachment of blood angels and a large force of dark Eldar. A second force of Tau was to arrive unexpectedly during the battle; estimates put the enemy forces at something like 11,000 strong.

Ten crypteks were scattered through the army including a court around Szeras, Five lords formed a bodyguard to Dalaghan himself aboard the Night Scythe NNV Reflective. Four companies of immortals, one aboard the Full Power with the Traveller, provided elite troops and six companies of warriors, two aboard the Ghost Arks NNV Deadly Force and Reliable added numbers.

Half the immortals had tesla carbines, the remainder gauss blasters. Screening the arks; six tomb blades, all with full upgrade packages and gauss blasters. Apart from the immortals aboard the flier, one company of warriors were also in reserve at the start.

A large squad of flayed ones gibbered and slavered ready to tear the enemy apart* and two squads of lychguard, one led by Obyron equipped with Hyperphase swords and dispersion shields, the rest with war scythes added melee skills. Three CíTan shards were available, one starting in reserve.

*Though tragically, they didnít

Two units of Triarch praetorians supported by two Triarch stalkers added bite. The stalkers were equipped with heat rays and heavy gauss cannon respectively, the praetorians with rods of covenant and particle casters and void blades. Three units of deathmarks brought their sniper skills to the mix, two squads aboard the Night Scythes NNV Systematic and Cold Fury, the third smaller squad ready to deep strike from hyperspace.

A tomb stalker coiled ready to strike and nine wraiths were divided into two teams, one led by Phareon Nedyeehn armed with Transdimensional beamers, the rest with whip coils. Nine pariahs were amongst the deep strike reserves and with the destroyer lord, ten destroyers and 6 heavy destroyers. Also held back initially, nine aconthrites were ready for enemy armour with melta weaponry and swarms of scarabs lurked underground with three tomb spyders.

Also in reserve with the fliers, the Monoliths NNV Superior, Stupendous and Decisive, the Annihilation Barges NNV Rain Of Fire, Vanquisher and Shattering Blow. As with all the optional weaponry systems on vehicles, the barges had gauss cannon fitted.

The principal weaponry of the army however lay with three apocalyptic units, the Obelisk NNV No Quarter, the Tesseract Vault NNV Commanding Presence and a Transcendent CíTan. Orikan and the two Cítans held objectives initially. Total force strength together with a seventh unit of six unexpected warriors added late to the reserves was 17,042.

The enemy deployed with companies of assault marines facing our left, several companies of Tau fire warriors in ruins above and between two large ruined areas. Amongst them some more Tau battle suits with interceptor weaponry that would have a telling effect. A lone Dark Eldar Raider lurked to the rear but the rest of the dark ones were conspicuously absent at extreme sensor range.

A Tau riptide was next in the line and in the forefront, two large squads of terminators. The enemy had massed their forces in the western quadrant and deployed nothing at all in the eastern quadrant or centre. Three Vindicators lay to the rear.

The action opened with Stormlord Imotekh seizing the initiative and our doom scythes attacking from the south west. The battle raged for some time with our forces commanding the field with their superior numbers but unable to bring much firepower to bear on the few targets that there were. We were holding five objectives in these initial stages, 5-1 the score.

In the middle section of the battle both sides held three objectives and deep struck large numbers across the field including in the rear. Then a huge seismic disruption, possibly caused by the undermining work of tomb spyders collapsed the entire western sector of the battlefield destroying the entire Imperial contingent, an estimated 1800 Tau including Commander Farsight and approx 5,279 of our forces. The two objectives in that zone also disappeared.

The final stage of the battle saw an accelerated action as both sides attempted to secure victory before complete collapse of the planetary crust. In the confusion of a hurried action many units failed to engage and no assaults were carried out by our forces, not all planned reserves engaged as sensor and communication disruption was widespread. The enemy were also badly affected and the battle broke off shortly before total planetary destruction occurred at 17.35.

An analysis by unit is appropriate for such a large engagement:

Imotekh deployed with ten strength-enhanced immortals in the south west of the western sector. His storm calling was completely ineffective. In the middle segment of the engagement the Tau led by Commander Farsight deep struck just west of his position and several immortals were felled and Imotekh wounded. Before he could counter attack the seismic disaster struck wiping out the western sector.

Trazyn The Infinite led twenty flayed ones forming a flayer kingís court in the centre of the position, although this group did not engage its mere presence enhanced the four units of warriors nearby making them unusually robust. This unit suffered no casualties.

Twenty warriors screened the flayed ones in the centre they advanced and engaged the Tau and took the brunt of a good deal of fire at one point being reduced by 85%, however with assistance from the Ghost ark Reliable and effective resurrections they recovered well before being finally destroyed.

Twenty more warriors led by a cryptek held the centre right. They advanced against the Tau and dark Eldar on the right and suffered 70% losses.

Another twenty warriors started on the right in the eastern sector and engaged the Tau and Dark Eldar. They ended having suffered 35% losses.

The NNV Deadly Force with a contingent of warriors aboard remained in the rear and its only contribution was to wipe out the Eldar passengers of an exploded Raider at the end.

The second Ghost ark, the Reliable did not even engage but did contribute to repairs on nearby warriors.

The two units of tomb blades were assigned to protect the ghost arks, one unit was destroyed late by the dark Eldar.

Overlord Nedyeehn led five wraiths with Transdimensional beamers which attempted unsuccessfully to take the enemy central objective. Although they did reach it, they could not dislodge the dark Eldar there, the unit was unscathed however.

Illuminor Szeras with four crypteks occupied ruins in the South of the Western sector. They failed to open fire initially but then engaged the enemy terminators with eldritch lances at range. They were wiped out with the rest of the western sector.

Overlord Iprieska aboard the Supreme Effort could not manoeuvre on the crowded battlefield and fell when the western sector was destroyed.

The canny overlord Nemesor Zahndrekh with his squad of immortals were in cover behind our eastern objective but were surrounded at one point with deep striking Tau and Dark Eldar appearing in the second turn. They resisted attacks well though, and took minimal casualties.

The lychguards with war scythes were on the right and were cut down by Tau fire without engaging.

A CíTan shard held our objective on the right but did not engage anyone.

Wraiths with whip coils on the right were targeted heavily by Tau and Imperial forces, only one survived to fall when the western sector was destroyed.

The Doomsday Ark Overkill was initially equipped with night vision but despite engaging imperial and Tau forces on the left, did little before it was wiped out by the seismic disaster.

The Tomb Stalker was cut to pieces by heavy Tau fire as it advanced on the right, like many units it did not even fire a shot.

Orikan The Diviner held our western objective with an immortal squad. His unit played no part in the action before being destroyed by the quake.

Vargard Obyron with his lychguard drew a lot of fire in the west taking sixty percent casualties before the quake destroyed them.

The Triarch Stalker with heavy gauss cannon and two units of praetorians were a power on the right of the western sector. The praetorians assaulted the terminators that attacked and had almost destroyed them with the aid of the Transcendent CíTan for the loss of almost half of their number when the western sector ceased to exist.

The second CíTan shard held our central objective and played no part beyond that.

Two Gauss sentry pylons were placed centrally and to the far east, Tau damaged the eastern one but both survived having inflicted little damage on the enemy and in particular failed to intercept Imperial and Tau fliers. A third heat ray equipped sentry pylon was part of our deep strike force, it landed to engage Tau forces but they were protected by cheating shield generators and it could not engage. It was then destroyed.

The Unrelenting deployed in the west only got off one salvo with little effect before the quake obliterated it.

The No Quarter deployed to the East but played little part apart from ensuring the enemy fliers were in the west when disaster struck, and it was destroyed at the end for a late victory point to the enemy.

The Transcendent CíTan was deployed to the west and destroyed a number of terminators including in assault. When the quake struck and destroyed it, it was badly wounded, but was on the verge of destroying the Tau Riptide.

The Commanding Presence was centrally placed and could not engage initially, it finally took out some Tau and badly damaged the Dark Eldar Tantalus. It ended seriously damaged but intact.

The Night Shroud Marauder did not deep strike initially but as part of the second wave, this did not save if from Tau interceptor weapons and it was shot down. The Shattering Force at least made it and got a shot off before it was shot down by a Barracuda in the Tau second wave. Neither bomber dropped their payloads.

The three Doom Scythes, the Venomous, Oath of Allegiance and Broadsword were all shot down in our first wave of reserves by Tau interceptor fire.

The Night Scythe Reflective entered from the east to avoid interceptor fire and dropped its passengers, the Warmaster and five lords amongst dark Eldar attackers. They failed to fire on the enemy and were assaulted by wychs and grotesques despatching several, but the warmaster fell to Lilith in a challenge. Three lords survived at the end. The Systematic dropped her deathmarks and crypteks so they could destroy scourge threatening our central objective. One deathmark fell in the action.

Also driven to the east, the Cold Fury dropped her deathmarks to the far east where they destroyed a dark Eldar unit.

Also part of the last deployment, the Full Power attacked in the centre but failed to disembark Anrakyr and his immortals as the planetary crust was deemed too fragile.

Five deathmarks dropping by deep strike landed to the far west and killed an assault marine sergeant before they were assaulted. They acquitted themselves well only losing one and won the combat, only to be destroyed with the rest of the western sector.

The Monoliths Superior, Stupendous and Decisive deep struck to the north of the western sector and inflicted casualties on various units before the end of the sector in the disastrous earthquake.

Our three tomb spyders deep struck to the north west, collapsing the two ruins nearby disrupting the fire warriors and other Tau dug in to them. The spyders also brought three units of scarabs but one unit was lost and another suffered from friendly fire. One spyder was killed and before the assault could go in on the nearby enemy armour the sector was destroyed.

The destroyer lord and his five destroyers engaged terminators with limited success after deep striking, they were then lost as the western sector collapsed. One destroyer in the second squad was lost before the calamity struck. One squad of heavy destroyers was lost to Tau fire, the other survived but failed to participate in the confusion afterwards. They did wreck one of the trio of vindicators before the cataclysm. Five more destroyers avoided destruction suffering 20% losses.

Nine pariahs deep struck on the extreme west and engaged assault marines. They took some losses before the cataclysmic destruction of the whole western side of the field.

The third CíTan deep struck in the centre and engaged the Tau with pyreshards and moulder of worlds, destroying one unit. It failed to act further as the battleís final phase played out in a limited time frame.

A total of nine aconthrites arrived late as the planetary break up began and damaged several Dark Eldar units including at least one destroyed. They took no losses. They were supported by the three Annihilation barges whose weaponry tore through several Tau and Dark Eldar units and the second Triarch stalker which took out a raider.

With seismic conditions deteriorating the remaining two squads of warriors totalling 26 and a cryptek did not deploy. Of the 84 units available, 40 were initially deployed of which 22 were lost in the battle. Three units deployed from reserve in the initial phase, all of which were lost.

23 Units deployed in the second phase and 14 in the final phase. 17 units from the second wave were lost but just one from the late arrivals. Four units did not deploy at all. Total unit losses: 43 out of 84. 27 units that were lost were destroyed by the seismic destruction of the western part of the battlefield. This included 16 units undamaged by enemy action at that point.

The Tau suffered an estimated 80% casualties, the Imperium 100%, the Dark Eldar perhaps 50%. Amongst the dark Eldar losses were their tantalus, at least one raider, their jet bikes Hellions and a unit of warriors. Estimated total enemy losses were in the region of 7-8000, something like two thirds. Our losses were around 9900 or 58%, most losses caused by the quake rather than enemy action.

In terms of objectives we held the early lead five to one, in the mid phase of the engagement we were even at six each, in the final phase, six all again. The enemy scored additional points for destroying the obelisk and slaying the warmaster, six to nine in the enemyís favour for an overall result of 17 Ė 16 to the Necrontyr.